Self leveling storing and dispensing apparatus



May 6, 1958 c. H. LARSEN 2,833,442

SELF LEVELING STORING AND DISPENSING APPARATUS Filed Aug. 26, 1954 2 Sheets+Sheet 1 42) FIG f/ i i 1 ll 1/ INVENTOR CARL H. LARSEN ATTORNEY May 6, 1958 c. H. LARSEN SELF LEVELING STORINGAND DISPENSING APPARATUS Filed Aug. 26, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheetv 2 INVENTOR CARL H LARSEN ATTORNEY 2,833,442 Patented May 6, 1958 SELF LEVELING STORING AND DISPENSING APPARATUS 3 Carl H. Larsen, Brooklyn, N. Y., assignor to American Machine & Foundry Co., a corporation of New Jersey Application August 26, 1954, Serial No. 452,331 Claims. (Cl. 220-93) This invention relates to a self-leveling, storing, and dispensing apparatus, and particularly to means for sup porting the spring against buckling when it is not constructed to be laterally supported by the sides of the dispensing apparatus.

'In a self-leveling dispenser which employes a calibrated spring which is not supported by the sides of the dispenser there is a tendency for the spring to buckle, especially if it has a relatively small diameter compared with its outstretched length.

It is an object of this invention to provide a guide support for the spring which will support it against buckling without interfering with the free expansion and contraction of the spring.

A further object is to provide a supporting guide for a calibrated compression spring in a self-leveling dispenser which is economical to construct and which 'is reliable in operation.

Another object is to provide criss-cross guides that can interpass with each other for a limited distance when the spring is compressed.

Other objects and features of the invention will appear as the description of the particular physical embodiment selected to illustrate the invention progresses. In the.

accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, like characters of reference have been applied to corresponding parts throughout the several views which make up the drawings.

Fig. 1 is a sectional plan view of the improved selfleveling dispenser.

Fig. 2 is a partial sectional side elevation of the same.

Fig. 3 is a sectional end elevation of the dispenser without any load.

Fig. 4 is a sectional end elevation of the same showing the dispenser partially loaded.

The improved self-leveling dispensing apparatus I have used to illustrate my invention consists of an elongated enclosure which in this case is rectangular in crosssection. Other cross-sectional shapes of the housing such as circular or oval could also be used.

The upper end of the enclosure 10 is open and unrestricted so as to permit material supported on the carrier 12 to move freely up and down inside of the enclosure 10. A calibrated compression spring 14 is interposed between the carrier 12 and the bottom 16 of the enclosure so as to exert a counterbalancing force under the carrier 12. In this way, as material is stacked on the carrier, it descends a distance corresponding to the weight of the material M so that the top of the material M is always maintained at a substantially constant level, regardless of whether material M is added to or removed from the dispenser. The spring 14 is of a smaller diameter than the sides of the dispenser housing so that it does not receive any lateral support from the sides of the enclosure 10 in the event it buckles. The carrier 12 has a depending skirt 18 which prevents the carrier 12 from cocking by engaging with the sides of the en- 2 closure 10. A pair of spaced rectangular sheet guide plates 20 and 22 diagonally arranged with respect to each other are threaded onto the coils of the spring 14. Each guide plate has formed therein a circular hole 24 and 26 and three slots 23, 30, 32, 34, 36, and 38 of staggered heights. The staggering is so designed that the slotted opening, 28, 32, 34, and 38, will receive the coils of the spring 14 as the calibrated spring is compressed under the weight of the material supported on the carrier platform 12 as shown in Figs. 2 and 4.

The plate guides 20 and 22 are held in predetermined vertical planes by engaging with the angle iron corners 41 and 42. The corners 41 and 42 of the plates 20 and 22 are round to prevent them from catching in the angle irons when traveling up and down. If the present inven tion were to be employed with an oval shaped housing or circular shaped housing, other suitable means would be employed for holding the vertically spaced guides in predetermined vertical planes with respect to each other. This could be done by restricting the guides against rotation relative to the spring by securing one portion of the guides to one portion of the spring, thus preventing it from rotating relative to the spring or changing its fixed predetermined vertical plane relative to the other guides.

As the compression spring is compressed the upper and lower guides are brought together. Due to the center slots 30 and 36 being slotted, both guide members 20 and 22 can partially interpass with one another as shown in Fig. 4 thus avoiding any interference with the compression of the spring while still preventing the spring itself from buckling. It will be appreciated that while I have shown two slots interpassin-g one another, it is also possible to have only one of the guide members slotted so as to allow the other guide member to pass into the slotted opening.

The invention hereinabove described may be varied in construction within the scope of the claims, for the particular device selected to illustrate the invention is but one of many possible embodiments of the same. The invention, therefore, is not to be restricted. to the precise details of the structure shown and described.

What is claimed is:

1. A self-leveling dispenser having a carrier movable up and down inside of said dispenser, a calibrated compression spring interposed between said carrier and the bottom of said dispenser, a pair of vertically extending and vertically spaced guide plates criss-crossed with respect to each other, at least one of said plates having a slot to permit the other of said plates to interpass when said plates are brought together, and means securing said guides to said spring for movement therewith.

2. A self-leveling storing and dispensing apparatus comprising an elongated rectangular housing, a rectangular material supporting carrier mounted for up and down movement inside of said housing, a calibrated compression spring interposed between said carrier and the bottom of said housing, said spring having a diameter so small that it would tend to buckle if it engaged with the sides of the dispenser housing, rectangular sheets threaded on said spring and having their edges vertically arranged to track in the corners of said housing, said sheets being positioned between the ends of the spring to support said spring against buckling when compressed by having the vertical edges thereof engage with the corners of said rectangular housing.

3. A self-leveling storing and dispensing apparatus comprising a rectangular housing enclosing said apparatus, a carrier movable up and down inside of said housing, a counterbalancing compression spring connected at one end to the lower end of said rectangular housing and connected at the upper end to the underside of said carrier, and diagonally crossed and vertically spaced recu? tangular plates threaded on said spring and having elongated slots formed therein to allow the coils of said spring to pass upwardly into said slots when said spring is compressed, said guide plates having the vertical edges thereof engage with the corners of said housing to support said spring against buckling.

4. A self-leveling, storing and dispensing apparatus comprising a rectangular carrier movable up and down inside of said housing, a calibrated compression spring of substantially lesser diameter than the inside dimensions of said housing, diagonally crossed, vertically spaced guide plates threaded on said spring and extending up and down between diagonally opposite corners of said housing for supporting said springs against buckling, said guide plates having vertical slots extending therethrough for receiving the coils of said spring, when said spring is in compressed position.

5. A self-leveling storing and dispensing apparatus comprising a vertically extending housing, a carrier plata5. form movable up and down inside of said housing, a calibrated compression spring mounted between said carrier and the bottom of said housing for counterbalancing material placed on said carrier to maintain the top of the material at a constant level, rectangular guide plates mounted in crossed relation to each other and extending up and down in vertical planes and outwardly from the spring and having the vertical edges thereof tracking against the corners of the vertical housing to laterally 10 support the spring against buckling.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 463,256 Side 'Nov. 17, 1891 849,551 Lutterman Apr. 9, 1907 1,979,821 Bradstreet Nov. 6, 1934 2,609,265 Larsen Sept. 2, 1952 2,692,177 Larsen Q. Oct. 19, 1954 

